The outraged response from renowned hypercar collector Jeffrey Chang reveals that traditional buyers have serious concerns about the design and direction of the first electric Ferrari.
Ferrari's entry into the electric vehicle market with the Luce model was not met with universal enthusiasm, to say the least. The Italian manufacturer began personally addressing select customers with a starting price of around 550 thousand euros, but was met with a stormy response. When a sales consultant contacted renowned collector Jeffrey Cheng and presented the vehicle to him as a vision of the future that preserves the brand's DNA, he categorically refused to buy it. His email, which of course quickly went viral online, reveals the uphill battle Ferrari is facing in introducing its prestigious electric novelty to a traditionally oriented market.
Cheng's criticism was not just about the electric drive technology, which accelerates the car to 100 km/h in just 2,5 seconds, but mainly about the "un-Italian" design, which he described as completely separate from the rich heritage of the brand. He wrote that he would not want to show himself in such a car, and compared the design to lower-priced vehicles and called it an unworthy sign with a jumping horse. He emphasized that for the price of this model, a buyer could consider top-of-the-line electric vehicles from competing brands such as Tesla, Rivian or Lucid, and still have enough money left over for a luxury vacation on a private jet.
The sharp message concluded with a suggestion to the consultant to pass it directly to the company's management, and the claim that the Luce model would be purchased primarily by individuals who simply wanted to improve their status within Ferrari's complex vehicle allocation system. While the brand often and easily ignores the opinions of ordinary online commentators, direct rejection from the target group and its most loyal customers will be much harder to ignore. This incident clearly demonstrates that impressive performance alone and an estimated range of around 530 kilometers on a single charge will not be enough to easily convince the most purist part of its clientele.
